Obama’s 37 million reasons for a stopover in the sticks

There are grand strategic reasons for most of President Obama’s European stops this week. In London and Deauville he will try to save the Arab Spring. In Poland he will start building a new European missile shield. But in Ireland, his most significant act will be a toast to his ancestors.

Air Force One touches down in Dublin this morning at the start of a 22-hour visit added to his itinerary almost entirely for the benefit of the 37 million Irish Americans back home. There will be a set-piece speech on College Green in Dublin this evening, but it will contain no policy statements. There will be meetings with President McAleese and the Taoiseach, mainly for the President to thank them for pursuing peace and…